Hey!

New update, wooo. I'll be honest though, not massively happy with this chapter... I had some trouble with it, as I had pretty much written down all the dialogue first and then... just didn't have the energy to fill in the rest. Then, when I came back to it after a long period of distractions, I still had a little bit of a struggle. I needed this chapter done so I could move on, so it might feel a little rushed unfortunately - I know, I see it too and I hate it too. Things are about to kick off soon and get more interesting at least. Hopefully the next chapter might be a bit more gripping.

Follow me on Tumblr for sneak peeks, what stories I'm currently working on, and what those distractions were: fortuneshyspirit?source=share

Might be uploading the first chapter of my Help Me... Please! re-write soon, so look out for that. Hope you enjoy the chapter and I'll see you all next update!

These Inhibitors' Flaws (Reworked) – Chapter Twenty

Sonic sat cross-legged on the settee. Everyone was in the kitchen right now. Well, nearly everyone.

Knuckles was in the living room with him.

And so far, neither of them had said a word. Sonic wasn't sure what he wanted to say to Knuckles. He'd rather just get this over with so he could deal with the inhibitors faster, but Rouge insisted they talk it out first. And Tails, like the sweet little fox he was, agreed that it was a good idea. Sonic knew they needed this conversation. But still, this was so awkward. Sonic might just start screaming soon if he had to keep sitting here in silence.

Why did he like the quiet sometimes and hate it other times? It was just one of those wild contradictions that Sonic didn't understand. Maybe it was all about context. And right now, he'd rather not be here.

"I'm sorry," Knuckles started. "For not talking to you about the inhibitors first."

Sonic didn't respond. What exactly could he say to that? Was the echidna expecting him to just accept his apology and move on? Just like that? Sonic wanted things to be good between them again, he really did, but he also couldn't let what the echidna had done slide.

If he couldn't stop Fleetway before it was too late, part of the blame was inevitably going to be on the inhibitors, on Knuckles. But it would fall on Tails' shoulders for making them. And it was also on Dark for releasing him. On Sonic, for allowing Dark to be manipulated like that by sealing him away. And, obviously, massively on Fleetway for simply being himself. So many people to blame. There were so many people to blame here.

Sonic didn't want to blame anyone but himself; unfortunately, the facts said otherwise. Logically, he couldn't ignore that. Not right now. It was just easier to work towards avoiding the worst, then he could pretend it never happened. That's always how Sonic operated. He'd just… never mention it again. And then life could go back to normal. Easy as that.

But right now, with the threat of Fleetway still hanging over him, Sonic knew there was a good chance he'd break free completely. The consequences were inevitable then. And everyone would feel those consequences whether Sonic wanted them to or not. If he made his own threats to Knuckles, perhaps the echidna would realise that and agree to remove the inhibitors. He detested the method, but that was all Sonic could hope for now. He was out of options to exhaust.

"I still think you need them," Knuckles then clarified. "But I acknowledge that they need some… improvements."

"That's it?"

Knuckles' head snapped up to look at him. But Sonic wouldn't meet his gaze. He was glaring at the carpet. A stiff silence passed, more stifling than the first time. Louder somehow. Another contradiction that just made sense to Sonic. And yet, he knew it didn't. After a beat, he scoffed.

He had to be combative to get the outcome he desperately needed.

"You acknowledge they need improvements?" Sonic drawled. "Are you serious?"

"Sonic…"

"I don't want them, Knuckles. Full stop. It wasn't fair to manipulate me with Tails into putting them on. That was low."

Knuckles averted his gaze. Out the corner of his eye, Sonic saw the guilty look that flitted across his face and a similar feeling fluttered deep in his stomach. But Sonic wasn't in the wrong here; Knuckles was. He shouldn't be the one feeling guilty.

And yet, he was. Because Sonic hated upsetting his friends. He hated having to be the one to tell Knuckles that he was acting selfishly. Maybe Sonic was a little too, but that was besides the point. The fact was, he despised himself for making Knuckles feel guilty even though he bloody deserved it. It wasn't something he enjoyed doing. But he had to remind himself of all he'd been through because of those stupid, red rings around his wrists. Tails may have made them, but it was on Knuckles' order. Technically, Sonic had been pushed into forgiving his brother first, because he'd needed him. Needed to know he was ok.

But Sonic required just a little more time before he could truly forgive the echidna.

"I…" Knuckles said quietly. "I know."

Sonic folded his arms, willing himself not to back down on this. It was difficult. All he really wanted to do was force down his own discomfort, that feeling of betrayal, and backtrack like crazy. He wanted to tell Knuckles everything was fine, that he was sorry too, that he forgave him. But that wasn't right. Because in his heart, Sonic didn't forgive him. And that was the hardest part; knowing he didn't trust the guardian.

Knuckles had taken the first step towards that forgiveness by just being here. Another, when he'd apologised. A step backwards when he'd double down on Sonic needing the inhibitors with his tone-deaf clarification. The next step he needed now was to remove the inhibitors. And afterwards, Sonic would gauge how he felt.

Just not yet.

"Shadow told me we're supposed to be having a conversation about them soon," Sonic said. "And I'm going to tell you now, that I won't agree to any scenario in which I have to keep wearing these things."

"Yeah, I figured."

"Can we just… get on with it?" Sonic asked with a sigh.

Knuckles hesitated for a moment before sighing himself. Then he stood from the settee and strode past him, heading for the kitchen. As he opened the door, calling for the others, Sonic was internally seething. This whole act seemed pointless to him. There was no discussion to be had as far as he was concerned. He refused to wear the inhibitors any longer; he hadn't wanted them in the first place. And no amount of conversation would ever change Sonic's mind on this. He just needed them off so he could figure out how to stop Fleetway's plans; that was the only important thing right now.

Shadow entered first, leaning against the side of the settee Sonic was on. Tails took a seat beside the blue hedgehog. Knuckles sat back down where he'd been before and Rouge perched herself on the back of the settee behind him. With everyone gathered, Sonic tried to force himself to relax. But he was still so tense.

No one said anything for a good while. To alleviate some of his nervous energy, Sonic stood up to lightly pace.

"Can you prove you can use negative Chaos?" Knuckles suddenly aksed.

Sonic paused in his pacing, back to the group. He knew this would come up. And, regretfully, his answer would not help this discussion move forward. His own abilities, or lack thereof, would discredit him.

"No. I can't."

"So you admit you can't use it?" Knuckles said.

Sonic whipped around to glare at the echidna. Absently, he could feel his quills rattling along his head and back. He was overcome with a wave of unbridled fury and he had no idea where it had come from. It sort of… scared him. And yet, that angry feeling carried him, invaded every cell of his body like a disease until it was all he could feel. No matter how much he tried to breathe through the frustration, to calm himself down, it wouldn't seem to go away.

"I never said that," he hissed. "I can use negative energy."

Chaos, he'd lost his cool so early in this conversation. That didn't bode well for the rest of it, did it? And where had this anger come from? His head was starting to pound something chronic.

"I'm gonna need some evidence of that, Sonic," Knuckles huffed.

Why was the hedgehog still playing this game? All he had to do was show them. That's it. Just some shred of evidence for his claims; that's all Knuckles really needed to make his decision. Then he'd open the inhibitors and allow Tails to tweak them. Meanwhile, they could have the more important conversation; the one where Knuckles had the impossible task of convincing Sonic of his side in this. Convincing him to wear the inhibitors.

"I can't," Sonic said.

"What do you mean you can't? You claim to be able to use it."

There was a shared tension that spread around the room like wildfire. Rouge and Tails looked on with mirrored expressions of worry. Shadow watched with narrowed eyes. The dark hedgehog was no longer leaning but standing upright, more alert than before. Almost like he was ready to step in at any moment.

Knuckles wasn't sure who he would be stepping in for. He seemed to be on Sonic's side yesterday. Was he waiting to tell Knuckles to back down?

Or did he think Sonic might run?

"I can," Sonic said, strained. "B-but I can't show you."

"Why not?" Knuckles snapped.

Sonic's eyes narrowed into slits. He was gritting his teeth. Something seemed to snap inside him. His ears were drawn back, quills bristling harder than before. The hedgehog took a single step forward, throwing his hands down at his side with a snarl.

"Because I don't know how!"

Red energy crackled around Sonic's balled-up hands. There one moment, gone the next. It seemed to send a jolt through Sonic, through all of them. The blue hedgehog gasped at the sensation, like he hadn't been expecting it. To Knuckles, the energy felt wrong. Certainly not like Sonic's positive energy. But was it quite like the energy from back in Eggman's base? Not really. That energy had been colder, a purple-blue flare. This felt different than that unsettling energy and the warm, gold energy of Sonic's Super form. This was something else entirely.

Sonic was staring at his hands like he'd seen a ghost, all pale and horrified. Knuckles could see his friend lightly trembling. What was that stuff? And what was with Sonic's reaction? It was just his energy.

"Well, it seems like you just did," Rouge mused.

Sonic shook his head. Frantic.

"That's not…" Sonic mumbled. "H-h-how did…?"

Everyone was quiet for a moment. All of them were confused. But there was more to Sonic's own confusion, more to his silence. Knuckles could practically hear the cogs churning away inside Sonic's head, revolving at a pace that could surely rival his feet. A light flicked on, deep in his eyes, something akin to panic or terror. Whatever he'd been parsing out had clicked into place, it seemed. And the conclusion he had reached wasn't good.

"It doesn't count," Sonic breathed, voice barely above a whisper.

Knuckles exchanged a look with Shadow, who was now standing beside him. They'd both heard it, both seen; Knuckles could tell by the furrow in the dark hedgehog's brow. Knuckles went to step forward. He wasn't sure what he was planning on doing. He just needed Sonic to talk to them. Knuckles was getting tired of all the vagueness and lying.

"Soni-"

"Take them off."

Knuckles paused. His friend's tone felt stilted. Calm, but in a forced way. Like a calm-before-the-storm sort of way. A terrified sort of way.

"Knuckles," Sonic forced out, a desperate quality sinking into his voice. "They're not doing what they're supposed to be doing. They're making things worse."

He knew he should say the passcode, should unlock the inhibitors. That tone was enough of an indication that something was seriously wrong. But for some reason, Knuckles was still stuck on the lack of answers. He needed to know what was happening, damn it. He needed to know why. So they could help.

Why wouldn't Sonic let them in?

"I need to know what's going on first, Sonic," Knuckles said. "I'm sick of not knowing what's going on with you. Sick of not knowing why you blow me off when I try to help. Or why you keep important things like this to yourself. I need to know."

"I don't have time to explain!" Sonic groaned.

The blue hedgehog took his head into his hands. His ears were flattening. Knuckles couldn't help but notice an edge to Sonic's voice. Like that of agony somehow. But otherwise, he showed no signs of being in pain. No wincing or laboured breathing. And there wasn't a mark on him; Knuckles could plainly see that. Perhaps he was mishearing.

When Knuckles wouldn't budge, Sonic sighed. A weighty, frustrated sigh. He rose his gaze, hands still grasping either side of his head.

"I can use positive and negative Chaos," Sonic started, biting out every word with forced patience. "The inhibitors are blocking my positive. And the negative isn't the issue, not right now. The red energy is. So, I need you to take the inhibitors off so I can fix it."

"So what is this red energy then?" Shadow asked. "Sonic, there are only two forms of Chaos energy."

"I-I don't entirely know myself," Sonic admitted. "It's fractured. Broken in some way. Not… not whole."

Sonic said that last part slowly, like he was coming to some realisation. Knuckles would have been thrilled to know exactly what that realisation was. But, as always, Sonic seemed intent on keeping it to himself. No surprises there, unfortunately. Though it just served to piss Knuckles off more.

"How exactly did this energy… break?" Shadow asked.

He was picking his words carefully. It seemed like the dark-furred hedgehog was trying to mediate. It seemed odd, like it just didn't fit with Knuckles' view of him. Shadow was a violent mobian. Knuckles didn't blame him for it; it was how he was made. But it was hard to ignore that Shadow usually jumped to solving problems with fists and Chaos Spears. He could be logical and cold, but also very violent, especially when it came to Sonic.

Knuckles would admit that he used to be the same. He could relate somewhat. Any situation, he used to think he could get through with brute strength alone. But he'd realised in recent years that his fists could not solve everything. Perhaps Shadow had come to the same conclusion.

Knuckles could respect him for that. Begrudgingly.

But it didn't escape his notice the way Sonic's eyes lingered on Shadow. Cold, almost accusatory. Shadow's frown had deepened. Then Sonic looked away, features smoothing a little, as though the moment had never happened. Knuckles knew the two didn't get along very well… but glaring was usually Shadow's department. Sonic was the one who liked to act overly friendly, to purposefully tick him off. If anything, he'd ordinarily smirk at Shadow. But Sonic had been here for at least a few days; Knuckles wondered if something had happened between them.

"It's complicated," Sonic mumbled.

"Oh, don't give me that shit, Sonic," Knuckles growled. "No more secrets. If it's so complicated, just explain it. Why is that so difficult?"

"I told you," Sonic snapped back. "I don't have the time! Not right now. If the energy is leaking through, it won't be long before h-"

Sonic cut himself off with a shake of the head. They were so close to learning something. Why couldn't he just finish the thought? That would be explanation enough, surely? What was going to happen?

"Before what?" Knuckles pressed.

The hero took a shaky breath, closing his eyes briefly. He was trying to collect himself. But when he opened his eyes again, Knuckles could see the rage still burning away inside. His little breathing exercise hadn't helped.

Knuckles had very rarely seen Sonic in this state. But when he had, it was very likely to be followed by something… explosive. Something with blacker-than-black fur. Something with a cracked smile and raised quills. Something wielding a cold, suffocating, purple-blue energy.

Something with horribly blank, white eyes.

"Knuckles…" Tails whispered from somewhere behind him.

The fox had noticed it too.

Knuckles had to de-escalate the situation, and fast. The problem was, he was the one that had instigated from the start; Sonic was unlikely to be receptive to him now.

"Look," Sonic said. "I'll tell you later, ok? I promise, I'll explain all of it later. But I need the inhibitors off now."

Still, he had to try. Knuckles raised his hands, palms forward. He took a slow step back, holding his arm slightly out in front of Shadow to get him to do the same. They had to give the hedgehog some space. Thankfully, Shadow stepped back in time with him, picking up on Knuckles' unease. Rouge rose carefully from her spot in his periphery. He glanced back, seeing Tails pull his legs up onto the seat with wide eyes. They were all appropriately on guard. Sonic, thankfully, hadn't seemed to notice.

They'd yet to see the other initial warning signs, not that Shadow and Rouge would know them. The rippling fur, the slackening of his shoulders, the awful stillness. But Knuckles was not going to risk it. He had to treat this situation as if Sonic had already checked out. Speak slow, clear, carefully. Don't raise his voice. Stay calm and be calm. Pushing any more past this point could trigger that form.

And if it came out now they were all screwed.

"Son-"

"For Chaos sake, Knuckles!" Sonic snapped. "Would you rather I dislocate my fucking thumbs trying to get them off myself? Because, damn it, I will if I have to! This is bigger than you realise. More dangerous than you could possibly know. Just take them off. Please."

Oh, he knew how dangerous it was alright. He knew firsthand how dangerous that form could be. But he wouldn't argue. Not anymore. It was far too risky now.

Knuckles took a deep breath. Here was the difficult decision. If he did this, there was no going back. Sonic was more than likely to flee. But it didn't sound like an act and Sonic didn't plead for anything, ever. The fact he was now proved one thing: he was serious. But would he keep his word? Would he actually tell them? And how exactly did he think he was going to "fix" whatever this broken energy was by himself?

The echidna found he was just as answerless as he had been before the conversation had started. But he knew Sonic really would hurt himself if it meant getting out of the inhibitors. It was honestly surprising he hadn't already; the blue hedgehog was fully capable of it. Without a doubt.

Knuckles couldn't let his friend do that.

Nor could he allow that form to take over. It just wasn't an option.

"Wind," Knuckles said, trying to make his voice as clear as possible.

Suddenly, the inhibitors each let out a sequence of clicks: click-click, pause, click. The red rings steadily lost their glow. The vibrancy of them weakened and weakened, like an ember being snuffed out. Then they popped open, now wide ovals more than rings. Sonic yanked them off, one by one, dropping them in disgust. They made a heavy, muted clinking sound as they hit the carpet. Then Sonic just stared at his wrists for a moment, as if unable to comprehend that they were actually gone.

The hedgehog's shoulders seemed to loosen ever so slightly before tensing again. His ears flicked. His face was unreadable for a beat. But overall, Sonic's demeanour had changed ever so slightly. He still looked a little ruffled but also relieved. And yet, the relief didn't seem to last for long. Sonic's eyes hardened and a determined look crossed his features. But there was something else in his expression.

Knuckles couldn't place it.

"I have to go," Sonic said.

"Now, wait a minute, hedgehog," Knuckles said. "We haven't even-"

"If something goes wrong, I can't be here. I need to buy myself some time just in case."

Sonic was backing away from them, almost cautiously. He must have suspected that they might stop him. Still, Knuckles was frozen for a moment. Not only was he trying to comprehend the hero's words, but he wasn't keen on provoking Sonic right now either. For now, it seemed they were safe. But it hadn't been long since he'd been irate; if Sonic was still on the cusp of snapping, Knuckles was deathly afraid of pushing it.

Truthfully, he wasn't sure what the cool-down period of Sonic's anger was. Knuckles wasn't used to dealing with it. Sonic was always a rogue element, an unpredictable factor to consider carefully. And Knuckles was kicking himself for not treating the hedgehog with the caution he deserved when he told Tails to make the inhibitors.

He should have known it would blow up in his face.

"In case of what?" Knuckles asked slowly.

The blue hedgehog paused briefly, looking suddenly sick.

"In case I fail."

And with that, Sonic was gone. A blue afterimage was all that remained. All four of them jumped, hearing the distant sound of a window shattering down the hall. The sound pierced the tense air, a needle through the membrane of a balloon. One of the bedrooms. He'd left through one of the bedrooms.

Knuckles stood there, stunned for a moment. Shadow was already sprinting after the hedgehog, just like he'd promised. Though Knuckles wondered if it might not be a good idea. Without hesitation, the dark-furred hedgehog turned into the room Sonic had been sleeping in. He never came back out; Shadow had guessed right first try. Figures Sonic would have found a way to avoid inconveniencing the G.U.N. agents as much as he could while still damaging their property. Rouge's room would have been closer.

They'd barely even spoken. Not really. They hadn't reached a real conclusion on the inhibitors, since Sonic hadn't allowed the conversation to go that far.

Knuckles couldn't help wondering if he'd just made a terrible mistake.